Grass exterminator



J. STEVENSON GRASS EXTERMINATOR Jan. 21, 1941. V

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Fb. l, 1940 07a? AZevemsm INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 21, 1941- J. STEVENSON GRASS EXTERMINATOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 1; 1940 I N VEN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

I Jan. 21, 1941. J. STEVENSON GRASS EXTERMINATOR Filed Feb. 1, 1940 S SheetsSheet 5 I I I I I I l I l I I H l I I I I I (707 /20 ,JZez iamrz INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 21, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

In many regions there is a sturdy and troublesome plant pest, known as Berumda grass, which is diflicult to eradicate, inasmuch as it is deeprooted, a small root portion being vital to start a new plant. The present invention aims to provide a simple but effective machine which will break up chunks of Bermuda grass turf, permitting the dirt to fall to the ground, the Bermuda grass being segregated from the dirt, for destruction.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the present invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 shows, in side elevation, a machine con- 25 structed in accordance with the invention;

Fig, 2 is a top plan;

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section showing one of the rollers and attendant parts (line 4-4, Fig. 1)

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig, 1;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line E6 of Fig. 1.

The machine forming the subject matter of this application comprises a lower or main frame I, adapted to be joined by a connecting means 2 to a .tractor 3, the platform whereof is marked by the numeral 4.

A rear axle 5 is journaled in the main frame I, as best shown in Fig. 6, rear ground wheels 6 being mounted to turn on the axle 5. A front axle I is journaled in the main frame I, and forward ground wheels 8 turn on the front axle 1.

It appears in Figs. 1 and 5 that vertical standards 9 are secured at their lower ends to the main 45 frame I, at the sides thereof and near the rear end of the main frame. A shaft I9 is mounted to turn in the standards 9.

The shaft i0 forms a pivotal mounting for an 50 auxiliary or upper frame H, which is extended forwardly above the main frame I. The frames I and H carry instrumentalities which break up sections of Bermuda grass turf, and it is desirable to adjust the upper frame ll vertically, to admit turf clods of different sizes, and to effect a crushing of the clods, and the freezing of the Bermuda grass, as the clods travel rearwardly.

The means for adjusting the auxiliary frame l I up and down on the shaft l0 includes brackets I2 which are secured. to the forward portion of the 5 main frame, as Fig. 3 shows, when considered in connection with Fig. 1, the brackets including segments M. A tubular shaft I5 is mounted to rock in the brackets l2, and an inner shaft I6 is mounted to rock in the tubular shaft.

Crank arms I! are secured to the inner shaft l6, and project forwardly. At one side of the machine, a hand lever I8 is joined to the shaft l6, along with one crank arm H. The hand lever It carries a latch mechanism I9, cooperating with one of the segments [4. The lower ends of links 20 are pivoted to the forward ends of the crank arms H, the upper ends of the links being pivotally assembled with the forward end of the upper frame II. 20

Through the instrumentality of the hand lever l8, the shaft Hi, the crank arms l1, and the links v2 0, the auxiliary frame I I can be swung upwardly or downwardly, at the will of an operator, on the shaft ID that is carried by the standards 9.

The numeral 2| designates a downwardly and forwardly extended chute, which receives the clods of Bermuda grass. The tubular shaft I 5 of Fig. 3 forms part of the chute 2|. A hand lever 22 is secured to the shaft [5, on the opposite side of the machine from the hand lever I8, and the hand lever 22 carries a latch mechanism 23, cooperating with the corresponding segment [4.

By way of the hand lever 22 and the shaft [5, the chute 2! may be swung up and down, the hand levers 22 and 18 being readily accessible from the tractor platform 4.

A plurality of lower rollers 24 are located within the lower frame I and have stub shafts 25 (Fig. 4) journaled in that frame. Figure 6 shows that a lower roller 26 is secured to the rear axle 5, and Figure 1 shows that a lower roller 21 is secured the forward axle 1. All the lower rollers 24-2621 have teeth 2'8, and the upper rollers (to be described hereinafter) also are toothed.

The lower shafts 2 5 and the axles l and 5 are rotated by sprocket chains 29, and sprocket wheels 30 secured to the shafts 25 and to the axles l and 5. Here recall that the ground wheels 6 and 8 are not fast to the axles 5 and 1, respectively, and consequently the axles do not participate in the clockwise rotation of the ground wheels.

It is shown in Fig. 6 that a large bull gear 3-! is secured to one of the rear ground wheels 6. The

gear 3| meshes with a reversing pinion 32 secured to the rearmost stub shaft 25. When the said rear ground Wheel 6 is rotated, the bull gear 3| rotates the pinion 32 and the rearmost shaft 25, all of the shafts 25, the axle and the axle 6, together with all of the lower drums 24, 26 and 21 being rotated counterclockwise. Since the aforesaid drums or rollers rotate counterclockwise, they receive the clods that ascend the chute 2 l and pass the clods backwardly.

A plurality of upper shafts 32 are journaled in the upper frame I I, and carry toothed upper rollers 33. The rearmost shaft ID in the upper frame H carries an upper roller 34. A chain and sprocket drive 35 imparts rotation from the rearmost lower shaft 25 to the shaft III, the upper shafts 32, and to the rollers 33 and 34. The rollers 33 and 34 receive a counterclockwise rotation.

The upper frame H is adjusted vertically at its forward end, by means of the hand lever 18 and associated parts, so that Bermuda grass clods of any desired size may be received between the main frame I and the auxiliary or upper frame II. The lower rollers 24, turning counterclockwise, carry the clods backwardly. The upper rollers 33 and 34 rotate counterclockwise, but their lower portions move forwardly, whereas the upper portions of the lower rollers 24 etc. move rearwardly. The result is that the upper rollers 3334 comb and break up the clods, freeing the Bermuda grass from the dirt. As the clods move backwardly, they are broken up by the pressure exerted between the upperrollers 33 and 34 and the lower rollers, such as the rollers 24. The dirt in the clods will drop downwardly between the lower rollers, and the Bermuda grass will be carried backwardly, out of the rear end of the machine, to be deposited in a windrow, which can be collected in any suitable way.

1. A machine for ridding the soil of Bermuda grass comprising a lower frame, a ground wheel journaled on the lower frame, an upper frame disposed above the lower frame, means for mounting the rear portion of the upper frame pivotally, to permit the upper frame to be adjusted vertically, toothed lower rollers journaled on the lower frame, toothed upper rollers journaled on the upper frame, mechanism for rotating all of the rollers, to cause the upper portions of the lower rollers to travel backwardly, and to cause the lower portions of the upper rollers to travel forwardly, and means under the control of an operator for adjusting the upper frame vertioally on its aforesaid mounting.

2. A machine for ridding the soil of Bermuda grass, constructed as set forth in claim 1, in combination with means for actuating said mechanism from the ground wheel.

3. A machine for ridding the soil of Bermud grass, constructed as set forth in claim 1, in combination with a forwardly-extended and downwardly-inclined soil-receiving chute pivoted to the lower frame and leading to the lower rollers, and means for adjusting the chute, to vary its inclination.

JOHN STEVENSON. 

